Harvest Moon: Curse of Mineral Town
by Nyannygiri
Summary: Pony sets off to Mineral Town in search of answers one Autumn, and quickly realizes that her neighbours are not your average people. With mystical powers, tragedy and romance, there is more to the citizens of Mineral Town than meets the (third) eye. This group of powerful young comrades soon discover that one man's curse is another's blessing. No cover art yet; I'm working on it!
1. Pony's Prologue

**Pony's P.O.V.**

"Miss Pony, would you care for another drink?"

I looked up at the middle aged waitress, who from her sarcastic tone when saying my name was clearly disgruntled at having to serve someone like me who looked like nothing more than a common farmer girl. "No, thanks. I've had as much as I need." With this, the woman bowed slightly before walking away, muttering to herself; "Dirty farmers on a high class ferry... What is the world coming to..."

I guess I was annoyed, but I found ill-informed comments like hers easy to ignore – I'd spent my whole life around conflict of sorts. You want my sob story? Well, here goes.

My name's Jillian. Jill for short, I suppose, but no matter how you change the name, it just doesn't suit me. I've always worn my hair in two big pigtails, but because my hair's so thick they've always looked like two big ponytails – so I quickly took to telling people to call me Pony. I was born out in the sticks, in a little place called Forget-Me-Not Valley, but I didn't live there for long, so I've never really seen it as "home". I don't remember much about my childhood, other than living in an eyesore of a large mansion where a ranch used to be. Not much ever happened in the Valley, from what I do remember – like I said, it was really out in the boonies. The most eventful thing to take place was the annual Fireworks Festival, but only because the veteran twins in charge of the event would almost blow themselves up each year; I remember laughing at their burnt off eyebrows and charred faces while they explained that they were "real experts at pyrotechnics, we swear!" Other than that, the valley was a place of lazy days by the Turtle's Pond, and pretend yeti hunting up by the spring in Winter. It really was a ridiculously lax place.

I must've only been around four or five years old when that all changed. By night, the Valley would be attacked by strange humanoid creatures with ungodly amounts of power and ruthless strategies, and each time, someone would lose their life. By day, the village folk would be boarding up their windows, while the few who thought themselves brave would venture outside to create makeshift weapons out of anything that could be salvaged – but being such a lax and unprepared village, we truly had nothing for such a task. I remember watching my Father leave every morning whilst my Mother reassured me that he was searching for the latest casualties to lend his aid. We'd both sit watching the door, not knowing whether or not he'd come back – mother tried to hide it from me, but in their state of panic, the village folk became feral. They'd become so afraid that they'd resorted to the mindset of "every man for himself". If they weren't killed by the outsiders, they were killed by each other, and one morning my Father didn't return. All I remember after that is a lot of crying, black clothes, and my Mother sending me away from the ravaged village to a town far away. Its name – Bluebell.

I was never fond of Bluebell. Huge English-style houses everywhere; truly a place for the rich to live. Precisely why I was sent there. As I may have mentioned before, I hate big, fancy houses. My luck with the matter continued to deplete – I was adopted by Bluebell's Mayor, who told me all about the "terrible town" of Konohana which neighboured ours, as well as their "uneducated Mayor". Once again, conflict was the centre of my life.

Growing up, I became increasingly curious of Konohana. One day, when I was twelve, I snuck out of the city of Bluebell and made my way there – and it was beautiful. Oriental houses surrounded by greenery and bamboo stretched out in front of me. It felt truly unfortunate at that point that out of the two towns I could've been sent to, it wasn't this one. Whilst there, I met a girl my own age – Lillian. She'd been adopted by Konohana's mayor, so she was as wealthy as I, but she was lucky enough to be surrounded by such a beautiful place. We hit it off straight away, and made arrangements to sneak out and meet each other every Thursday, if we could help it. It went that way for eight years, until we were twenty years old – that was when I decided to leave. My closest and most precious friend was sad, naturally, but she understood. She knew I hated living in Bluebell. She also knew that I had to go to the town of outsiders that ravaged the land of my "home", though the real reason I was going was in response to an advertisement – there was a vacant farm there, and I wanted to be a farmer, just like Lillian. She sent me on my way, all packed up with my belongings, and gave me some old blue overalls to wear on my journey, which she said once belonged to her birthmother. She bought me first class ferry tickets, albeit against my wishes, and that was goodbye – and just like that, I was en route to find my answers.

So, there you have it. This is yet another tale of two towns, but not the towns of Bluebell and Konohana. This is the tale of the former Forget-Me-Not Valley – its name recently ironically changed to the Forgotten Valley – and the town that was home to the attackers. To be honest, at that point in time I'd be happy just to be off of that ferry – I'd had more than enough of all the well-dressed snobs looking down their noses at me.

Not a moment too soon, the intercom sounded; "Now arriving at Mineral Town beach. Would all passengers with a red-stamped ticket vacate the ferry – we have reached your destination." I stood up from my horribly uncomfortable leather chair as soon as I heard this, though looking around it seemed I was the only one travelling to Mineral Town. I walked through the mahogany door of the ferry and stepped outside into the salty sea air. The sound of my work boots against the steel pier resounded in the dusk, and I sunk into the sand slightly when I stepped on it. I was so tired – I'd been on that ferry since eight in the morning, and by that point it must have been almost nine at night. For a moment, there was a light Autumn breeze, before the beach once again fell into a serene stillness. Maybe it was strange for me to want to be anywhere near to the home of the alleged perpetrators of all that destruction, but the beach was truly scenic at that time in the evening, so much so that I lowered my guard completely. The sound of the waves caressing the shore soothed me against my better judgement to be apprehensive, and the washed up fragments of sea shells glimmered in the light of the moon. At that moment I felt it – I could really make a life here.

I lost track of time staring out into the deep blue, and before long it was almost too dark to see. "I suppose I'd better get going..." I muttered to myself. I took out the slip of paper with my new address on it from the belly pocket on my overalls; I knew where I needed to go. I unsteadily walked through the shifty mustard-coloured sand toward what looked like a dimly streetlamp lit Town Square – at that moment, I heard a strange sound almost like footsteps far behind me. I spun around sharp toward the pier and for an instant – just an instant – I saw the blur of black cloth and a rounded silver blade, before the image before me vanished into the darkness. Then, once again, it was just me, encompassed by the silent, solitary stillness of the beach. My eyes widened with the possibility as the slip of paper fell from my now limp hand.

_Did I just see... A reaper?_

**_Note from author:_****_ Hey there, this is my first fanfic so I hope you enjoy! :3 Sorry this chapter hasn't been all that eventful; I just wanted to get some background in before I kick off with the actual story. ^^ Reviews of any kind would be much appreciated! ~Nyannygiri_**


	2. Warm Welcome

The dull morning sun peeped through the window as it gently awoke me. After a long stretch I turned over and looked at the clock on my makeshift bedside table and I could just about make out the numbers; it was nine already. I guess I wasn't used to a farmer's daily routine just yet...

I stood up sluggishly and my hair flopped in front of my eyes, as if to slow down my day even more. Stifling what must have been my fifth yawn, I reached for the two red bobbles I had neatly hanging on a hook for convenience, and tied my hair back into two large brown pigtails. After pulling on my jeans and "Bokumono" t-shirt, I rubbed my slightly bloodshot lilac eyes in front of the mirror.

Walking away from the fridge with a hearty plate of onigiri and some grape juice, I sat down on the puffy pink cushions that were in the middle of the floor in my tiny farmhouse. I thought back to my vision on the beach last night; the reaper, or "shinigami" as some might say. A black hood and a silver scythe...

I supposed that's all it was – a vision in the dark. I wiped a rogue grain of sticky rice from my chin and pulled on my work boots. I must've just been paranoid on the beach – after all, I had plenty to be apprehensive of.

Soon after I'd finished gulping down the entire jug of grape juice, there was a knock at the door. I wiped my mouth on my sleeve, now slightly stained a faint purple, and reached out for the rustic wooden handle with sleepy yet narrow eyes. Opening the door just a crack let the glare of the sun blind me for a few seconds, and I stumbled backwards, groaning.

"Not a morning person, huh?" a playful voice emanated from the direction of the light. My eyes finally adjusted to the sunlight and before me I saw a smiling young woman about my age, whose bright blonde fringe contrasted against her chocolate brown hair; she seemed to appraise me with her emerald-like eyes.

"Morning, Pony. Welcome to Mineral Town." She said calmly with a smile. My eyes narrowed further.

"How did you... eh... Good morning." It was way too early to be asking questions. I chose to give her the benefit of the doubt and assume there'd be a reasonable explanation for her knowing my name.

"My name's Karen. I work at the supermarket. Nice to meet you," she held out a small, thin hand, which I sleepily shook. Karen smiled slightly. "Care to come out to town with me?"

"Uhh... sure. I just finished breakfast so..." I locked up behind me, glanced in the red mailbox beside my house and headed out to town with my newest acquaintance.

"So, Karen. What's good here?" I said reservedly as we passed what seemed to be a poultry farm, not wanting to give too much away before I'd settled into town. Karen turned to me, already emanating eccentricity. "You should visit the Winery sometime; the wine Cliff makes there is amazing! And, of course, coming here by ferry you will have seen the beach already. It's my favourite place in town," she said with a dreamy smile, the type you'd see on overly romantic female protagonists in old movies. Though, it did make sense at that point. She'd probably found the slip of paper I'd dropped on the beach. This eased my mind somewhat, I suppose, though I still felt like more suspicions than answers were arising from Karen.

Before long, we were at the inn. Karen flung open the two black doors and shouted "I'm home!" jokingly to her peers. I peeked inside somewhat sheepishly to see five others also around my own age; two males and three females. Karen noticed my expression and took me by the wrist, guiding me toward the group. "Everyone, Pony here has just moved into the farm in the south of town, so she's our new buddy." The group's attention was now on me. How embarrassing.

"Not everyone's here just yet... but Pony, allow me to introduce you to Cliff, Popuri, Gray, Elli, and Mary!" Karen said to me, beaming. In turn, she indicated to a male with spiky brown hair and a large bird on his shoulder, a girl with pink hair almost like candyfloss, a blonde man wearing a blue "AMU" cap, a woman with short brown hair in an ice-blue dress, and a raven-haired woman in glasses, respectively. "Morning, everyone." I nodded with a hint of a smile, albeit nervously. "Morning," the group repeated back to me.

"Let's be good friends, okay?" the childlike Popuri squeaked in my face after leaping out of her seat to grab my hands, before skipping away. Not really knowing how to react to that so soon after waking up, I sat beside Karen on a barstool. She was laid back with her feet up on the bar as if she were right at home, in a position that I couldn't imagine being comfortable at all...

The wooden door to the left of the bar creaked open slightly and out walked a pair of bright blue overalls worn by a pale yet cheerful girl wearing a large white ribbon in her ginger hair. From the fact that she had three silver trays tucked under one arm, I guessed she was the barmaid. Somehow, Karen looked even jollier than before when this young lady approached the other side of the bar.

"Ann! It's been too long!"

"Too long since you've had a drink, you mean?" the red-haired girl named Ann rolled her eyes; "I saw you just last night. And so did the booze." Karen scratched the back of her head and grinned in an almost guilty fashion. "Well, you know how it is. Anyway! A red wine for me and whatever Pony here's having! She's the new farmer, by the way. I brought her here to celebrate her moving in!" By now, Karen's priorities seemed to lie more with getting alcohol than with introducing me to the townsfolk.

"Well, it's a little early in the day to be serving, really..." Ann pointed out before pausing to look at Karen's attempt at pleading puppy-dog eyes. She sighed, and then laughed. "But with Karen living here, that's pretty much the norm. Nice to meet you, Pony; what'll it be?"

I looked at Karen questioningly, and she nodded at me. I turned back to Ann; "well, if you're really sure it's okay this early... I'll have a beer." Karen grinned again, and patted me on the back. "Beer, huh? It's obvious you're a farmer!"

After what seemed like only a few drinks with Karen, I noticed it was already six in the evening. Mary seemed to notice the same thing, as she bolted away with a horrified expression, saying that she should return to the library. Well, each to their own. Everyone else seemed to slip away in their own time, too, and then it was just me and the now very drunk, very rosy-cheeked Karen. Us, and the one introduced to me as Gray, who noticed me getting up to leave and headed toward me across the bar.

"So, Pony. You moved into the farm down the road, huh." He mumbled, averting his eyes like your typical movie 'cool guy'.

I nodded.

"Well, I'm impressed, I guess. Either way, welcome to the boonies." With that, he walked away.

"Yeah..." I sighed. That should've been, 'welcome back'. Looks like I was back to living out in the sticks, even in a fair-sized town like Mineral.

"Oh," Gray turned back toward us once again, flashing his rough yet gleaming sapphire eyes at me, "I figure I should ask. Karen – are you gonna invite our new buddy here to the Moon Viewing Festival?" His tone of voice made this seem almost like a challenge.

Through her drunkenness Karen looked somewhat hesitant, but then her expression went back to a drunken, hazy smile. "Err... sure, why the hell not... The moon view thingy is on the 13th... I'll come get ya' an hour beforehand, 'kay?" she slurred as she rose from her barstool and stumbled toward me. I reflexively caught her before she ended up on the floor. "The 13th... So in three days, right? I don't see why not."

"Great!" Karen exclaimed whilst waving her arms, the wine in her hand now sloshing onto the floor as well as my right shoe, as Gray sniggered to himself quietly and left. "It'll be great! The moon gets so big and everyone celebrates. It's fair to say..." she leaned in close with a look of mischief, seeming to sober up for just a moment, "you really don't know the folks of Mineral Town until you've been to the Moon Viewing Festival."

_**Note from author:**__** So now that Pony's been introduced to some people, things can finally pick up a bit! Things should really start to get interesting in the next chapter :3 thanks for reading; reviews are always appreciated! ~Nyannygiri**_


	3. Curse Revealed!

It was 11AM, and I was out in my fields tending to my semi-grown sweet potatoes. Karen had given me five bags of seeds for free, and they were growing much quicker than I'd expected – though I couldn't really take credit for that. These weird short people in tiny pointy hats had shown up the day before and started helping me water my crops. There were seven of them, each dressed in a different colour of the rainbow, and they walked around talking about "tea parties" and calling me "budum". I was thoroughly confused, but... I suppose it was good to see that Mineral Town welcomed people with dwarfism. After all, I was only a rookie farmer, and I did appreciate their help.

It was the 13th day of Autumn; the day of the Moon Viewing Festival. It had been three days since I'd moved into Mineral Town, and Karen took it upon herself to introduce me to the rest of the townspeople. These included Popuri's brother; Rick, the local Doctor, Elli's grandmother, and the town's Pastor. It's funny; I expected there to be a lot more people in such a big town, yet contrary to all the buildings, it was almost barren... it just reeked of suspicion.

Even though I'd tried to take my time with my farm work, there were still seven hours left until the festival... and I was almost finished taking care of my crops already. That was the problem with not having any animals yet – if Karen wasn't around, I didn't have much to do. For a farm, it was really quiet. No chickens clucking. No cows chewing, no sheep bleating; just the distant sound of water flowing down the stream surrounding the farm, and the pitter-patter of the feet of my tiny helpers. It was evident that this farm had been empty for quite some time before I moved here... the barn and chicken coop were both pretty beat-up, but it actually sort of gave the farm a nice, rustic feel.

Time crept along slowly and midday finally arrived. Still with six hours until the festival, I had nothing at all to do, so I'd taken a seat on the soft grass in front of the river. I'd been watching the fish dart about beneath the ripples for quite some time. It was a pleasant Fall day – not too cold for that time of year, but the calm sun was accompanied by a pleasant breeze, which rustled through the trees. I glanced over at the tiny people watering my crops – they seemed to have it covered. I laid down on the lush greenery and closed my eyes – the ground beneath my head wasn't hard and uncomfortable, but instead soft, like nature's own pillow. Before long I was lost in my own little space in the world, consumed by the aroma of fresh grass and the sound of the flowing river...

"Budum?"

"Ugh..." when I opened my eyes, the sun was descending beneath the trees. It was getting dark out – weird for midday...

Wait.

I sprung up off of the ground. "Wh-what time is it?" I demanded of the tiny man in a purple pointy hat that had awoken me just moments before.

"It's just past six, budum... A woman visited a little while ago, but she didn't want to disturb you."

"Gyah!" No way... Karen went without me! "Thanks, little guy! See you later!" I sprinted over the bridge to the south of my farm, into the dark woodlands. I hadn't been this way before, but I was already late, so there was no time to hesitate or look around.

"Turn left beneath the spring, and then head straight up the mountain..." I repeated Karen's instructions back to myself in slightly staggered breaths. As I began my ascent up the mountain, I caught sight of the moon. It was huge. Colossal, even... it was breathtaking. I'd even go as far as to say it moved me, even if only slightly. I finally understood why today was the best day for moon viewing.

Noticing that the sight of the glimmering silver bauble in the sky had caused me to stop where I stood, I endeavoured to push my way up the mountain as fast as possible. Following the moon up the mountain, I finally arrived at Mother's Hill, but without even a moment to catch my breath...

"Wh-wh-wh-what in the hell...?!" I stumbled backwards and fell painfully onto the hard earth – but my mind didn't register the pain. I forgot how to breathe and I couldn't move an inch. _What in the world... am I looking at?!_

Everything was weird. More than weird – ridiculous. Terrifying. Some ineffable state of supernatural activity was taking place beneath the bulbous moon, and my mind could hardly keep up.

Popuri and Rick had...ears. Dog's ears. Sprouting from their heads. Tails. They were... they were howling at the moon. _Did that little dwarf slip me something while I was sleeping...?!_

Karen... her eyes were closed. Well, two of them were – there was a third eye protruding from her forehead, emitting a purple fog-like aura.

Elli was surrounded by a blue ball of energy, with a transparent chain connecting her to the Doctor, who was calmly stood beside her. The scene would be almost enchanting if I knew what the hell it was all supposed to mean...

My eyes dared to wander over to Ann. Nine gigantic white tails sprouted in all directions from behind her, the tips set ablaze by nine individual blue flames – yet she didn't seem to care. It wasn't burning her. Two pointy fox ears were somehow sprouting out from her ginger hair, the tips of which were also ablaze with blue fire._ Th-that must be it... heh... I'm... still asleep on the grass... Come on, Pony, wake up... any time now..._

Karen smiled without opening her eyes and creepily began pacing toward me.

_Please wake up..._

"G-get back! Don't come near me!" I scuttled backwards, but suddenly stopped in place.

"Eek! Please don't crush me!" came a small voice from behind me. I apprehensively turned my head to see Mary stood there. To my relief, she was the same as always; same dark hair, same glasses and pale skin. Mary was still the same.

Except she was TINY!

I shot up off the floor away from Mary, who was only as big as my hand, at most. "What the hell is going on here?! Someone... Someone tell me what's happening!" I shouted, whilst looking myself over to make sure nothing weird had happened to me, too. I heard a chuckle from my left and Gray approached me from out of the shadows – in my panic I didn't even notice him. He was wearing the same old white jumpsuit and blue cap; as far as I could tell, nothing about him had changed. Thank goodness...

"Gray... What... What's happening here?" I said, stumbling over to him before tripping and clinging onto his shoulders for dear life. He supported my weight and held me upright, rolling his eyes. "Get a hold of yourself, Pony. No one's going to hurt you. Just... try to calm down a bit." Calming down was a big ask at that point, but I took a few deep breaths and managed to hold myself up once again. My senses returned to me and I dashed backwards slightly with widened eyes. My cheeks felt flushed – I was embarrassed about getting so close to Gray I could barely look at him... Yet at the same time, I was glad that someone was still human. Gray sighed. "Mineral Town's no normal place. It's currently the supernatural centre of the world. It's a town cursed with great power. That's why everyone's... different to what you might expect." He sounded bored as he spoke.

"Magical... Centre?" I couldn't believe what I was hearing – not one bit. Yet looking around me... How could I possibly reject it? "I don't understand..."

"Well, in basic terms, this town holds the greatest concentration of supernatural powers. Because of this, generations of people living here have passed down these abilities. When the moon is as clear as it is tonight, that power becomes so potent that the people of Mineral Town have no choice but to revert to their natural forms. If it makes it easier to understand, we'll call it... magic." His tone was almost as sarcastic as his expression, but I still felt like he was telling the truth – and then, I _did_ understand. Forget-Me-Not Valley was attacked by people with monstrously strong powers... People from Mineral Town. This 'supernatural centre of the world' justification... It was really the only explanation I had.

"Fine... Works for now..." I said in between breaths, trying to relax, yet my painfully tense muscles had a different idea. "So... Explain it to me... Why does Karen have three eyes? And Ann's on fire... and... the dogs... and... so... so tiny..." My speech was almost as frazzled as my mind, and picking up on this, Gray held up his hand to signal me to stop talking. "Karen's psychic. The third eye on her forehead allows her to see things that others can't, as well as read minds." I looked over at Karen whose third eye was watching us, as if listening in from an impossible distance. She grinned at me. Without shifting his expression, Gray continued. "Mary's a Koropokkuru. That's a tiny leaf spirit, since you obviously don't know," he sniped, in response to my expression. "Popuri and Rick are derived from the Inu people – a race of half dog, half humans. Ann's a Kyuubi, or nine-tailed fox. Elli is a sorceress capable of summoning familiars. I'm sure you must have heard of at least some of these creatures in legends..." I could literally hear his eyes rolling just from his tone of voice. Through my nerves and denial I was starting to feel a bit stupid. Evidently being human himself, I didn't understand how Gray could be so nonchalant about all of this...

"Well, yeah, but I assumed they were just that. Legends... Myths..."

I mustered up my courage and awkwardly walked over to Karen. "Uh... Hey." I found it hard to look at her, but I didn't want to be rude.

"Hey, Pony. You don't have to feel so awkward, you know," she giggled – of course, she knew. It now made sense how she knew everything else... My name... Where I was moving... What else did she know...? I shuddered.

Her third eye seemed to stare at me creepily, though I tried to convince myself it was fine – she could read my mind, after all. "I... I thought you said Cliff would be here too, anyway." I said, trying to move my mind off the subject.

"He is." She indicated to the brown horse standing to her left that I hadn't noticed upon arrival. "He can transform into a horse... Cool, huh?"

"Wha... Whaaaaat...?" I felt a cold sweat trickle down my back as the horse's beady brown eyes looked over to me. "Evening, Pony!" seemed to emanate from the horse's open mouth. My mind went into overdrive and became hazy. A horse was speaking to me. A horse. A goddamn horse.

That was about as much as I could take.

"Pony?" Came Karen's concerned voice.

"Hey... Pony!" Came Gray's.

"Pony's down! Doctor! Elli!"

My vision fizzled out into nothingness.

...

_"Hey, Pony?"_

_"What is it, Lillian?" I said, throwing another smooth pebble across the surface of the river._

_"Well..." she leaned in close, "do you believe in magic?"_

_"Magic?" I repeated, almost like a parrot. My pebble skimmed the surface three times before landing in the river with a plop. "I dunno. Do you?"_

_"Of course I do," she smiled, standing up. "I have magical powers myself!" she joked. I tilted my head to one side sceptically. "Show me then."_

_"Okay!" Lillian shouted, moving her feet in some sort of weird pattern, like some sort of tribal dance. The slippery mud shifted underneath her boots, and before she knew it she was face-first in the river. "Waaah! It's cold! Pony, help me get out!" she whined in embarrassment, trying to hide her laughter as she tried to lift her dress out of the river, now heavy with water._

_"Haha! Sure, just let me take a picture first, okay?"_

_"Ahh! No, don't! Pony!"_

_..._

"Pony..."

When I woke, I was in an unfamiliar room. It was warm and homely, and I was tucked up in a single bed that wasn't my own. Looking around, I saw familiar faces watching over me – Karen next to me, Popuri running in a circle further away, and Elli standing next to the Doctor in the doorway. The back of my head was pounding, and I winced as I ran my hand over it. As my eyes came into focus, I remembered. Mother's Hill. Everyone looking weird. Cliff – the horse...

I started to feel dizzy again. "Take it easy, Pony. It's alright." Karen's two green eyes looked down at me as her hand supported my back. I could see the purple smog rising from her forehead, though she seemed to have covered her third eye with her hair and opened her other two, just to put me at ease.

"Karen... Where am I?"

"You're in the Inn. This is Ann's room. Gray carried you all the way here from the mountain."

"Gray...?" Feeling the heat rise to my cheeks slightly, I looked around for the moody blacksmith. I didn't see him.

"Yeah. He set you down here and left."

"I see..." From the corner of my eye I saw a flickering blue flame and panicked for a second thinking the inn was on fire, before I realised it was just Ann. My mind was still in overdrive... She was carrying a tray with a single glass of water on it, and kneeling she gently set it down on the bedside table. "Here you go, Pony. You can stay there for as long as you need to," she spoke softly, as if trying not to startle me, like I was an infant or an injured animal. "Feel free to make yourself at home – my room is all yours!" she walked away with a smile. I looked around and saw a small yellow music box beside me. I turned the handle, but it seemed to be broken.

Sitting up, I noticed some comic books spilling out from beneath Ann's bed. The titles were all in Japanese, so I couldn't decipher them. Out of curiosity I reached for one with a red cover, but my hand was obstructed by Karen's. "I don't think you'd be interested in that." She smiled knowingly.

After sitting with Karen for a few hours, I finally dared to ask. "About this whole... Curse thing. Why didn't you just tell me a few days ago? When we met?" Karen frowned slightly, and looked away.

"Let me ask you something." She looked at me once again. "If I'd just come right out and told you about it all as soon as we'd met, would you have believed me? And even if you did, would you have been calm about it?"

"In that case, why did you invite me tonight, knowing I'd learn the truth?"

"Well... At the same time as being worried, I felt like you deserved to know the truth. And naturally, I knew you'd come to understand." She smiled. "The Harvest Sprites seemed to think so too."

"Harvest...?"

"Short little guys in pointy hats and colourful clothes?"

"Oh, right... My helpers. I thought they were just dwarves," I admitted. Karen giggled. "They're magical beings, too – more so than the rest of us, really. They work directly under the Harvest Goddess and rarely reveal themselves to others. You're lucky." Before I could ask any more questions, Karen stood up. "It's getting late... Ann said you can sleep in here for the night and she'll take a guest room. I'll come see you in the morning." With that, Karen left. I laid back down and stared at the ceiling with a sigh. I still had so many questions... But I knew then that Gray was right. Mineral Town was no ordinary place – if I was to make a life there, I'd have to get used to it, one way or another.

"That girl in your dream..." Karen said, poking her head around the door once again, "your sister?"

I opened my mouth to voice a complaint about an invasion of my privacy, but I stopped. Lillian wasn't just a best friend in my eyes. She was family. "More or less," I responded.

**Gray's P.O.V.**

I sit in the darkness, staring at the floor of my Grandfather's former room, the flickering stove providing the only hint of light. I've been sat here ever since I returned from the Inn, yet I just can't shake the feeling that something was wrong. When I held Pony... And whilst I carried her on my back... I definitely felt it. An omen of sorts. I've felt this once before; something is incredibly, ominously wrong.

I narrowed my eyes and fell back onto the shoddy bed behind me, staring harshly at the black void where my eyes fail to see the ceiling. At this point I can't quite place what it is... but I will find out. In the meantime, Pony's a human in this town. She could be in danger. She could be targeted... But I won't let that happen. She might never know it, but I'll protect her until the very end.

_**Author's Note:**__** So, the truth about Mineral Town is revealed! I have a basic idea of where parts of the story are going to go from here, but suggestions are welcome, as well as reviews! Thanks for reading :3 ~Nyannygiri**_


	4. Love's Exorcism

_"So... This is really it..."Lillian's voice shook quietly in the early morning sun, fighting back the tears in her already bloodshot eyes with a smile. "You're really going..."_

_I hugged her tightly. "I am. But I'll write to you – I promise."_

_Before long, the hourly bus arrived which would take me to the docks._

_"Don't worry..." whispered Lillian with a smile, "I'll only cry after you're gone."_

_Slowly taking the handle of my suitcase in my right hand, I walked toward the bus' closed door. It flung open suddenly, and the driver glanced at me expectantly. Stepping back, I hesitated. I didn't want to leave Lillian just yet. I didn't want her to cry. "Looks like... I forgot something." I said sheepishly, turning back around. The door shut with a clang and the bus left._

_"Why'd you do that?" Lillian asked, surprised. "Don't stay on my account. You've got a ferry to catch."_

_I sat down on the short patch of grass next to the road. "It's fine." I replied, "I'll get the next one."_

_As the hours passed, the next bus came. I didn't move. It left. As did the next bus. And the next... And the one after that. Leaving home is hard... Leaving your best friend is harder. But the time finally came. The sun was descending below the horizon, and the last bus of the evening arrived. I stumbled to my feet – the lack of circulation from sitting there all day made it hard to walk. Stepping onto the bus felt like entering a doorway far from home, and as I took my seat it all became real. As the bus pulled away, Lillian waved, and I saw a silver tear make a faint trail down her cheek. Getting the late bus meant I'd have to wait until morning to get the ferry, but it was more than worth it._

...

Ann's bed was comfortable, but I had to get up some time. My headache had finally started to fade, though a subtle dull pain still resided there. I wanted to go home and write to Lillian since I hadn't yet had the chance with all the crazy things happening, so I threw back the green bed cover and got to my feet. I was already fully dressed from the day before, and even though I stunk, I had no spare clothes. _Nothing for it, I guess._ I headed out of the back room into the bar, where as expected, Karen was already drinking.

"Hey, Pony! Feeling better?" she called over in a cheerful voice, waving with her left hand, a bottle of wine in her right. I sat down beside her at the wooden table, alongside Ann and Cliff. "Yeah, much," I replied, "thanks for letting me borrow your bed for the night, Ann."

"Anytime, Pony." Ann smiled, sipping her grape juice. "I was gonna go down to the spring with Popuri, but I wanted to make sure you were doing okay first." She put the glass down. "So anyway, Pony. You never told us all that much about yourself. Where are you from?"

"I'm from Forg—" Karen flinched as the first part of the name came out of my mouth. _Does she know...?_ "I'm from... Bluebell. It's a small town across the sea."

"Can't say I've ever heard of it..." Ann tilted her head, "but cool!"

"So, what are you doing now, Pony?" Karen attempted to change the subject, averting her eyes.

"I was just about to head home."

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed the silent Cliff's expression. He looked far away and forlorn, like the love deprived protagonist of a movie.

Note to self; stop comparing people to movie characters.

"Something wrong, Cliff?" My words didn't seem to reach him – his expression didn't even flicker. Karen smiled sympathetically. "Him? He's in love."

Finally realising we were talking about him, Cliff snapped back to reality; his deep brown eyes full of longing and sorrow. "You said it..." he mumbled. "It's..." he sighed. Ann and I leaned in slightly, intrigued, though Karen leaned back knowingly.

"The Doctor..."

Ann's face turned bright red and her blue eyes gleamed, as though she were even more intrigued than before. "So?" I said, "why not just tell him?"

"That's not the issue..." he sounded frustrated. "The Doctor isn't a free man, and so he doesn't have the freedom to love." I was confused. I didn't understand at all. Noticing this in my expression, Karen turned to me. "You know that Elli's a summoner, right?"

I nodded.

"Well, the Doctor's her familiar. Meaning he belongs to her." Cliff nodded sombrely along with Karen's words. She continued. "It's possible for her to release him from his bindings if we could only convince her but, well... At this point in time, Elli's possessed."

"Wait, _what?_" Cliff instinctively jumped to his feet.

"Yeah... Sorry, man. I'd had a vision telling me so a few weeks ago, but I was trying to exorcise it myself as to not make everyone panic and cause a ruckus... I guess I'm just not strong enough." She shrugged with an innocent smile.

"But Elli seemed so nice when I spoke to her..." I said, barely keeping up. Although I'd only been in Mineral Town for a few days, I couldn't imagine the sweet nurse having been possessed by some unearthly presence. "And what exactly is she being possessed by...?"

"That's just it... I don't know. It's incredibly troubling." Karen's brow furrowed, and she seemed to feel guilty. "As for Elli seeming nice... The possessor only becomes prominent when Elli's stress levels become too high. If we try to persuade her to release the Doctor, this could potentially be extremely distressing for her. So... The first step would be to exorcise the possessor... though it's potentially very difficult to do so..."

"Who cares?!" Cliff raised his voice suddenly, "I don't care how hard it is to set him free. I love him, damn it!"

Ann was starting to act very strange. The blush across her cheeks had only gotten redder, and she was fidgeting with a weird smile on her face. I looked at Karen, perplexed, who giggled back at me. "She has... a weakness for this sort of thing." She said quietly. I remembered seeing the comic books under Ann's bed, and just then it all made sense... I smiled to myself.

Looking at Cliff's agitated face, she addressed him. "Well, then, if you really want to try exorcising Elli's possessor and setting the Doctor free... we need to put together a plan of action."

"All right!" Ann yelled, slamming her fist on the table with a lively determination that seemed unlike her. "Let's do this! For love!" Karen and I exchanged a perplexed look, and then nodded at Ann. That was the first time I'd seen Cliff smile.

About an hour later, we got everyone together; Karen, Cliff, Ann, Popuri, Rick, Mary, and of course, myself. Karen invited Gray along, but she told us he wasn't interested. Probably just as well; he was only human, after all, and he could easily get injured doing this sort of thing. Thinking that made me doubt my own use in this mission, however...

"Okay, guys! It's time for Operation: Love's Exorcism!" Ann shouted, whilst the rest of us cringed at the chosen name...

"So, Ann? What do we have to do?" Rick piped up, arms folded. Ann wavered. "Uhhh..." her confidence seemed to fade away. She had no idea what she was doing... Instead, Karen stepped up. "What we need to do is perform an exorcism. However..." she frowned, "there are no exorcists in town anymore. The last one was Gray's grandfather."

"What about Pastor Carter?" I asked.

"He isn't qualified or experienced enough for the job. Saibara was due to teach him, but..." her voice trailed off. Everyone looked down in sadness. _Just what happened to everyone here?_

"Anyway... without an exorcist, we can't do this the easy way – but I think I've come up with something that just might work. Everyone listen closely." We all drew closer to Karen. "Mary. Since you're a tiny spirit, you'll be our lookout. Infiltrate the Clinic and keep an eye out for anything that could jeopardise our plan."

"G-got it!" Mary said, determined yet shy.

"Popuri, Rick. You'll be our stressors. You'll be having direct contact with Elli, so be careful. You'll also act as a distraction."

"Stress her out? I hope you know what you're doing..." Rick said.

"Don't worry, I do." Karen replied. "Cliff. Whilst Elli is being distracted, you'll kick down the back door."

"Are you sure that's a good idea...?" Cliff said nervously.

"It'll all work out." Karen smiled, waving a carefree hand. "Ann. Once the back door is open, you'll enter the Clinic with Pony and I. Once Popuri and Rick have stressed out Elli sufficiently, the possessor will begin to show itself. You'll use your Kyuubi powers to temporarily capture Elli's soul. If I'm correct, this should also capture the possessor. Once you release them, the possessor will be back in its physical form. That's when the real fight begins."

"Ooh! I have just the thing for this!" Popuri jumped in excitedly, her candyfloss hair flopping about. Seemingly out of nowhere, she pulled out six portable short-wave radios to use for communication, plus a tiny one for Mary to use. "Walky-talkies!" she squeaked excitedly with a child-like beaming smile on her face, clearly proud of herself. Everyone looked around at each other, wordlessly discussing how it was suspiciously convenient of Popuri to have such equipment. Nevertheless, we all took one and concealed it on our person.

"Remember, in absence of a real exorcist, any part of this mission could go wrong." Karen turned to us all, "I'm counting on you all to make the best of things should that happen."

"Move out!" Ann shouted, saluting. She seemed to be getting a little too into character. With that, everyone was on their way.

...

Before long, the four of us – Ann, Karen, Cliff and myself – were concealing ourselves in a bush next to the Clinic, short-wave radios at the ready should we receive a transmission. It was quite a warm day, and the lack of personal space in that particular shrub was a little too close for comfort – literally. We were all acting as if it was some sort of super undercover spy mission. It felt incredibly silly to handle things this way, but admittedly, it was a lot of fun.

"All clear! Commence distraction!" Mary's voice buzzed out of the transmission devices.

"Popuri! Rick! You're up!" Karen whispered intently. A few minutes passed before barking could be heard from in front of the Clinic, followed by the door creaking open.

"What is it, you two?" came Elli's soft voice.

"Play with us!" woofed Popuri. "Play, Elli! Now! Play fetch with us!"

"Sorry, Popuri... I'm busy labelling medicine bottles right now."

"No, Elli! Play! Play!"

"Uhh..."

"Now's our chance," whispered Karen, "Cliff! The door!"

"On it." Cliff whispered in reply, covertly climbing out of the bush. Once he positioned himself at the back of the Clinic, he transformed into his horse form. With one swift kick of his back hooves, the door was forced open with a bang.

"What on earth was that...?" gasped Elli.

"Uh-oh..." Ann murmured. Karen was still watching the events unfold intently, silently.

"Oh, no... What if my medicine bottles have fallen over? Sorry, Popuri! I have to go!"

"No!" Popuri latched onto the bottom of Elli's dress with her teeth. "Play with us!" she growled.

Karen hopped out of the bush. "Now's our chance!" Ann and I followed behind closely before sneaking in through the back door. "Now what do we do?" panted Ann.

"We wait." Replied Karen. Everything in the Clinic was so... white. It was almost as if it was symbolic of the purity and kindness of Elli herself. _Don't worry, Elli... we're here to save you._

"For the last time, I will NOT play with you, brat!" Elli shouted in a distorted voice before slamming the door. As she came into view, her skin had begun to scale over, and a dark red aura-like smoke emanated from her body. Her expression was angry – not befitting of Elli in the least.

"It's here." I told my comrades. Karen nodded, and signalled to Ann.

"What the hell do you think you're doing in my Clinic?!" Elli's voice was almost a roar as her intense eyes tried to burn us up. "I'll kill you all!" Grotesque claws ripped through her fingernails. I was terrified... but I had faith in Karen's plan, and in Ann.

"For Cliff and the Doctor's love... let's do this!" shouted Ann, summoning a blue swirling ball of energy in her left hand. Her nine fiery tails sprouted and ripped through her clothes, just as her fox ears became visible from beneath her hair. "Hah!" she thrust the aura ball at Elli, who shrieked and cowered from the light. The ball struck Elli whose body fell limply on the floor, and returned to Ann like a boomerang.

"Her soul's in here... as well as that _thing_..." Ann breathed heavily, "now what?"

"Throw it back... but prepare yourself." Karen readied herself, as did I, watching intently. Ann threw the orb back out, and once again caught it on the rebound. Elli's body rose by itself; she was clearly still unconscious. I wondered if she'd be okay... but there was no time for that just then. From Elli's chest came a black spectral chain, and on the other end of it materialised a creature I could hardly stand to look at. Its body was covered in yellow-green scales and it towered above us, glaring down with a furious expression in its dark red eyes. Its crooked claws looked as though they could rip through flesh without trying. I cowered slightly. I wanted to run away... but I forced myself to stand firm, fighting against every impulse in my body.

"It's draining Elli's life force through that chain. We have to get rid of it!" Karen informed us. Ann raced toward it, throwing her energy ball at the beast's heart. The monster only laughed at her; "Foolish human! In this form your aura cannot break through my scaled skin!" It was like something out of a nightmare; the stereotypical villain from a childhood game come to life. Its huge arm swatted Ann down like a fly, and she fell painfully onto the ground.

"Ann!" Karen shouted, rushing to her aid. Cliff ran in and jumped at the monster, but met the same fate; he was only a horse. His strength couldn't match the monster's... and I was only a human. All I could do was watch as it all happened. My friends were in agony... and I couldn't do a thing...

"No way, monster! Stay awaaaaaaay~!" screeched Popuri, as she and Rick jumped onto the beast. Mary, too, started flying around its face, just out of reach, to protect them. The perfect distraction... but what could I do? I wasn't powerful. I wasn't strong like everyone else. Though deep down, I felt a need to prove myself. My eyes scanned the room at hyper speed, and landed upon the Clinic's emergency fire axe propped up in the corner. Beast distracted, I dashed across the floor and grabbed the axe. It was too heavy for a rookie farmer like me, but the adrenalin rushing through my body didn't know it. I grabbed the axe, and with one heavy swing, I violently plunged it into the chain connecting the disgusting creature to Elli.

"How..." the monster stumbled to its knees as the chain snapped to pieces, "how dare you...! I will be avenged...!" the monster melted away, its screams chilling us all to the bone – but we knew we'd done it. A huge blue beam of light shot from Elli's mouth, making a huge hole in the ceiling, and her body fell limply to the floor. _Well... that was weird._ My arms finally realising they couldn't hold such a heavy axe and dropping it to the floor, I rushed over to carry her to the sofa.

"What the hell..." Everyone's attention turned to the door where Gray had finally decided to join the party. He rolled his eyes. "Can't go five seconds without making a mess, huh." He walked over to me. "Get Elli onto the beach. The sea air will help her. I guess I'll help you carry her or whatever..."

"Gray... thanks." I said, holding up one side of her body. I looked over to Ann and Cliff. Though they took a beating, they seemed to be able to hold themselves up. I was glad.

...

We all hurried to the beach. I didn't quite understand it, but Gray said the sea air help her soul re-settle after the trauma she'd experienced. It was dark out – the operation must have taken all day, but we were all so mentally involved that it felt like no time at all. Ann made a fire, and we set Elli down on the beach. Before long, she slowly regained consciousness.

"Where...?"

"You're on the beach, Elli. It's alright." I spoke softly.

"I couldn't move but... I saw it... You saved me, Pony..." a light blush rose to her cheeks, "thank you..." she still wasn't quite at her full strength, but she pulled herself up off of the sand. "I heard it, too... the Doctor..." Cliff's body tensed as she said it. "You want me to release him... from myself?"

"I... well... I know it's a lot to..." Cliff tripped over his words.

"Will it make you happy?"

"Y-yes..."

Elli smiled softly and stood up. "Doctor," she said kindly yet assertively. The Doctor seemed to fade in from thin air. "Yes, Elli?"

Elli glanced over at Cliff who was now bright red in the face, and back at the Doctor. She grinned kindly. "I set you free."

"Wh-what? Do you mean it?" the Doctor, not knowing anything of that day's events, was completely taken aback. I could see it in Elli's eyes – it hurt. Her familiar. Her companion... and now she was selflessly setting him free. His eyes told the story, too. It's not that the Doctor hated being with Elli... She'd taken care of him for so long. But just as a mother has to let her child go someday, the time had come for Elli to let the Doctor spread his wings. It made me feel warm inside, and a little sad.

"Yes...I free you from your bonds, so long as you promise to always be kind." She raised her hand. "You are now responsible for your own existence, so now you require your own name. I name you... Trent."

The newly named Dr. Trent was speechless; almost welling up from his happiness.

"This is as much as we can do," I whispered, "the rest is up to you, Cliff."

Gray snorted and smiled as if pitying us. "You guys are..." his attention was suddenly stolen away by something further down the beach, his eyes almost painfully sharp. We all turned to look; a lone silhouette stood in the darkness, and although I couldn't see its face, I knew it was watching us. I could feel it. Scared and concerned, everyone drew closer together, huddled around the fire silently, except for Gray. His eyes seemed to cut through the darkness like daggers.

The silhouette stepped forward.

**_Author's Note:_** **_So this chapter may have been a little bit of a filler, but I found it really fun to write, so hopefully it's as fun to read! By the way, I'm not sure if anyone's noticed, but Cliff turning into a horse is a reference to Harvest Moon 64 ;) as always, reviews are appreciated! Thanks for reading! ~Nyannygiri_**


	5. Black-Clad Stranger

Gray slowly yet unfalteringly stood up and cautiously stepped in front of us, like a wolf ready to defend its pack. Though he wasn't exactly a tall man, Gray's presence towered over the silhouette, sheltering us behind him. In an instant, the warm, sentimental atmosphere of the beach had become stone cold and tense, as if the sand beneath us was a bed of nails. Shaky breaths were all I could hear from either side of me; even the lapping of the waves was drowned out by the dizzy pulse beating in my head. Though I was surrounded by my friends and neighbours, at that point in time, I felt alone; all I could see before me was Gray edging toward the ever closer shadow creeping along the beach. I couldn't see his face, but I could feel Gray's glare like broken glass. Popuri pressed her face and candyfloss hair into my arm. "Big Sis... I'm scared..." I could hear the fear in Popuri's shaky voice; she'd shown the other side of her childlike innocence. I didn't know when she'd taken to calling me 'Big Sis', but now wasn't the time. I put my arm around the child beside me, and continued to watch the ominous spectre and the rugged blacksmith draw closer and closer together.

"Y'all sendin' a beam up in the air like that..." came an informally Western yet husky voice out of the darkness, "it's as if you're wantin' to draw unwanted attention to yer'selves." The words hung in the air for a moment as we all realised that the ghoul on the beach... wasn't a ghoul at all. A black Stetson atop a bed of elegant yet effortless silver hair emerged from the dusk into the circle of firelight around us. Amaranthine eyes appraised each of us in turn from underneath the hat's rim as a pair of spurs attached to leather boots clicked across the sand. The boots suddenly came to a stop before Gray, and two loosely clenched fists enveloped in silver-buckled black gloves hung by their owner's sides.

"He's a... cowboy?" Popuri snickered under my right arm, seeming to be over her fear – but only for a moment. The intense glare that the maverick aimed at her suffocated every hint of a laugh or smile on Popuri's face. The man's buttoned shirt and jeans were black, contrasting with his brown leather belt. Amethyst-purple eyes and shimmering hair that seemed to give off a light of its own... The apparition-like man before us certainly wasn't an evil spirit as we all seemed to fear, but his appearance nevertheless made him seem other-worldly. The only part of his aesthetics that didn't seem to match was the red bandana tied around his neck; a bright blood red that seemed to contrast with his serene image. "That bandana..." I heard Karen whisper to my left. I turned to her, but from her face it was obvious that she was speaking to no one in particular. Her mouth was slightly agape, and her eyes were filled with tortured sadness and pity as they gazed upon the astral man that stood before us. By then, I'd gotten used to how things worked in Mineral Town; Karen knew something tragic had happened just by looking at this man. Somehow seeming to hear her whisper, he stared back at her, and for a moment – just a split second – his eyes seemed to be filled with regret, before returning to their hostile, stone-cold emptiness. All the while, Gray hadn't moved. He was still stood in front of us, ever watching the unknown presence. The waves lapping against the shore seemed to act as tumbleweeds. A cowboy clad in black silently facing off against a blacksmith in a white jumpsuit. Black versus white; the ultimate showdown.

"What's your business here, cowboy?"

"Well, well. Didn't expect ta' get questioned by some sort of engineer the second I roll inta' town." The man looked Gray up and down in what would be a witty and comical way if his face wasn't coldly serious. "Name's Vaughn. Livestock dealer by trade. Heard talk that this place had a lack of animals these days."

Everyone's nerves seemed to ease as the group unconsciously spread out once more around the fire. _So, he's involved with animals..._ From his demeanour, he didn't seem like an animal lover, but at the click of his fingers a heavenly white horse emerged from the beach behind him into the light of the fire – I hadn't even noticed it was there, but in hindsight it'd only be natural for a cowboy to be accompanied by a horse. Once it was at Vaughn's side it stood there serenely, its white mane being lifted by the breeze.

"That's not it. I can tell – you've heard of Mineral Town. You know how things are here. No one in your position would just _move_ here. Besides, look how few of us there are – money's no object here. You can't gain anything from being here. You're looking for something." Gray spat the words out at once before anyone else could speak, in a disorganised way that was unlike him. I flinched slightly at his words, as I felt like they were aimed at me, too. He was acting like a dog that had gotten a whiff of something unsavoury. It was obvious; something about Vaughn was riling him. Vaughn drew in close to him, expression as sharp as daggers. "Everyone's lookin' for something, buddy, and what I'm lookin' for is none o' your concern. "

"A cowboy... Who knows what you're hiding on your person, what you're planning to do. I bet you've got a gun under that hat of yours." Gray spat back with clenched fists, losing his cool.

"On the subject, what's under _your_ hat, partner?" Vaughn's words were laced with monotonous glory as Gray fell into silence, rubbing the peak of his cap, agitated. Vaughn turned to face the rest of us, seeming to exclude Gray's presence. "I hear talk there's abandoned buildings a plenty 'round here, so I'll be settin' up in one o' those, supposin' that's alright."

"Yodel Ranch is free, and it's kitted up to house livestock," Rick suddenly advised in a friendly manner, though it was obvious he felt as though his masculinity was in question in the presence of the cowboy, "it's right next to where we live, too. The roof's busted up, but it shouldn't be too hard to fix."

Ann stood up, also doing her part to cut the tense atmosphere. "I run the inn – it's right in the middle of town. Should you need a bed, food, or just some company, feel free to come by, Vaughn."

"I thank you kindly. S'awful kind of ya'." Vaughn tipped his hat slightly, but in spite of his gratitude his voice remained monotone and his face remained the same hostile, unreadable mask. Seconds later, Vaughn turned away and the sound of spurs and hooves hitting the sand echoed once more. Before passing Gray, our new neighbour stopped in his tracks. Without altering the way he was facing, he spoke quietly yet firmly; "You'd do awful well to stay out of my way, stranger." Bumping Gray's shoulder with his, Vaughn led his horse off of the beach and disappeared into the darkness from whence he came.

Ignoring Vaughn's comment, Elli yawned. "Whew, night time sure snuck up on us..." It was then that I realised Elli must be exhausted – she'd just had a malicious spirit exorcised from her.

"You're right," I said, standing up and offering Elli my hand. "We've all had an eventful day, especially you. Time to go get some rest." I yawned too, and Elli graciously took my hand to stand up. Everyone gradually followed suit and we headed toward the beach's exit together, apart from Gray who stood stationary, unmoved since Vaughn's departure.

"Hey, Pony~ I don't wanna go to bed! Come over to our house for a while, will ya? Please, Big Sis?" Popuri tugged at my sleeve, pink eyes wide and gleaming.

"Yeah... I'll be there in just a sec." I headed over to Gray, who only seemed to notice I was there when I was right in front of him. "Come with us."

"No..." he sighed, the irritation still shining in his gem-like eyes, "I'm going home. Have a good night, Pony." He waved once casually before placing his hands into his pockets and walking away. "Oh," he turned back to me and looked me dead in the face, the peak of his cap mere millimetres from my forehead. I felt the heat rising to my cheeks again, though I hoped the darkness of the night would hide it. "Be careful." Two simple words that said so much. Vaughn... Why did Gray hate him so much? I had no choice but to be on my guard.

...

Popuri and Rick's house was very homely; a small leather sofa resting in front of a rustic fireplace, with a blue and white chequered dinner table in the centre of the room. There was a shop counter in the right corner of the room closest to the door, but from the cluttered, dusty mess resting atop it I assumed it wasn't in use anymore. I was sat on one of the wooden chairs around the table. Across from me sat Rick; next to him was Popuri, who was humming to herself. Karen had decided to join us and sat next to me, though she hadn't said a word since being on the beach, nor had she smiled.

"You okay?"

"Huh?" Karen seemed to snap back to reality. "Oh, yeah... Got any wine in, Rick?"

"I'll check the fridge..." Rick rolled his eyes, leaving his seat. Karen placed her right elbow on the table, her sullen face's cheek resting in the palm of her hand. It wasn't just Gray who was acting out of character, apparently.

I couldn't help but wonder why Vaughn came to Mineral Town. Although to my dismay Gray was probably the townsperson I was the least close to, I couldn't help but trust him. Maybe it was just me letting my feelings cloud my judgement, but if Gray thought Vaughn was suspicious, then I did too. I decided to take action. "Hey, Karen?"

"Hm?"

"You can see an awful lot about a person just from looking at them... Right?"

"That's right," she said, taking a bottle of wine from Rick.

"Why did Vaughn come to Mineral Town?" I came right out and said it. After the day I'd had, I was in no mood to beat around the bush. Karen thought for a moment as I became more and more excited about seeing her gift in action, and about finding out about the mysterious cowboy.

"I don't know."

"Huh?" I felt like I'd been shot down. "I thought-"

"Yeah, no, you're right." She mumbled between sips of wine, "I can see anything I want about a person by looking at them. Anything at all. Sometimes, they don't even have to be there." She looked at me, smirking slightly at my paranoid face. "That's what worries me. I think of Vaughn and I see his past. His childhood, his achievements, and most strikingly his suffering. But... I can't see why he came here." She placed the already empty bottle on the table and furrowed her brow. "Pony, have you heard of something called a Reaper?"

I thought back to my arrival at Mineral Town. That first night on the beach... "You mean, a Shinigami?"

"Yeah, exactly. Other than those relating to death, do you know what power a Shinigami has?"

"...Flight?"

Karen giggled slightly with a hiccup. "Yeah, that too. But I mean something else... Shinigamis have the ability to distort power frequencies." Picking up the bottle once again, she tipped it toward her mouth to get the very last drop. "A clairvoyant like me can't read a Shinigami's mind if they're using their power. Same goes for everyone else – if a Shinigami didn't want them to use their abilities, they'd be powerless. If there's something they don't want you to know or do... That's that."

"Woah." I was dumbfounded; I had no idea that such nullifying power could exist. "So, wait. You couldn't read part of Vaughn's mind, about his intentions here. Are you saying...?"

"Precisely." Karen slammed down the bottle and slurred her words slightly, but unlike her usual drunken behaviour it was clear that she wasn't fooling around. "I have my suspicions that Vaughn is a Reaper. Call me paranoid or petty because for once in my life I can't read someone's mind, but if that's the case and it turns out that he's not on our side... We could all be in grave danger."

She'd said exactly what I'd feared. Since we were finally talking about serious matters, I decided to finally say what had been on my mind since my arrival at Mineral Town. "Karen... I have one more question."

"What is it, Pony?"

"Well..." I took a deep breath and collected my thoughts. "This place... It isn't right. Including you, me and Vaughn, there are only thirteen townspeople living here. Almost all of the buildings are abandoned and ravaged... Just what happened here, Karen?"

Karen's eyes seemed to cloud over as memories flew through her mind. "You really want to know?"

"I do."

"Alright..." Karen said, doing her best to sit up straight. "Listen closely, but brace yourself. It won't be an easy story for you take in."

_**Author's Note:**_ _**This one's a little late, sorry about that! With college and conventions going on it's difficult to find time to update, but I'll keep doing my best! Thanks for reading :3 ~Nyannygiri**_


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